USA Hockey exec John Vanbiesbrouck on home ice advantage in MN: 'We're normally Darth Vader'

DULUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - As exhibition games are underway ahead of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Team USA is already enjoying support from the Minnesota fans.

Support for Team USA

What they're saying:

FOX 9's Jim Rich had the chance to sit down on Tuesday with USA Hockey Assistant Executive Director John Vanbiesbrouck ahead of an exhibition game between Team USA and Finland.

Vanbiesbrouck told FOX 9 how grateful Team USA is to be playing on American soil.

"To have more people behind us, we are not used to that," he explained. "We're normally Darth Vader going into a foreign land."

"We're going to welcome it," Vanbiesbrouck continued. "It's just managing the process, some of the distractions. We want to enjoy Christmas with families at home in Minnesota. We want to engage in Minnesota and love the state and be part of it, and we hope that everybody comes out and supports us."

Medal expectations

What we know:

Vanbiesbrouck also talked about how expectations have changed over the years for USA Hockey. A couple of decades ago, the team aspired to win a medal. Now, the expectation is medal or bust.

"The expectations have certainly gone up," he says. "I think that each year you learn something different. I think the [prior teams] were ones we were really building on. We had won, and we had a mishmash of players that didn't fit every position. But we always had speed. We always had tenacity and a love for the country. So those are good things that we're building on, but I think now we're starting to get to the depth at each position, and we are getting a little selective."

Team USA schedule

What's next:

After Tuesday, Team USA next takes the ice for a preliminary round game versus Germany at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Friday, Dec. 26 at 5 p.m. The following night, Team USA takes on Switzerland.

You can see Team USA's full schedule here.